


Favor

by emungere



Category: Kitchen Confidential
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-11-21
Updated: 2005-11-21
Packaged: 2018-02-26 12:46:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2652527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emungere/pseuds/emungere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pino asks Jack for a favor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Favor

The gloom of Jack's apartment was soothing on onion-and-habanero singed eyeballs, and he didn't want to turn on the overheads. He groped for the floor lamp near the kitchen counter, switched it on, and shrieked like Steven had that one time he woke up with a fish still down his pants and thought it was his dick.

Pino was sitting at the small kitchen table. He took a drink of scotch, which had to be that shit Seth had brought over because that was all Jack had. He made a face. 

"Jack. What is this?"

"It's...Seth's really crappy scotch?"

"Hm." Pino eyed it, holding it up to the light.

Jack swayed gently, lightheaded and not at all sure he wasn't hallucinating. "Pino."

"Yes?"

"What are you, why-- Are you here to--" _\--kill me?_ He didn't see a gun. "No, I guess you have people to-- Oh. I'll shut up now."

"Yes, why don't you do that."

"Is there something I can do for you?" Jack squeaked, in a manly fashion.

"Cook for me," Pino said.

"Uh. What do you want?"

"Anything will do. A sandwich, some eggs, I do not care."

But when people asked Jack to cook for them, he couldn't ever just make a goddamn sandwich. Pino got pan-roasted salmon with new potatoes and a saffron sauce. Jack sat across the table from him and watched him eat it.

Pino wasn't his boss anymore. Why was he sitting in Jack's kitchen at--Jack checked the clock--one in the morning? Why was Jack _feeding_ him at one in the morning? Dear god, why was he not asleep right fucking now? He rubbed his eyes.

"This is brilliant, Jack."

Jack liked compliments as much as the next guy. If you defined 'the next guy' as, say, Steven, and 'compliments' as one buck beers on a Friday night after a long service, or maybe boobs. Pino's compliments were actually a lot better than that. The man sounded so goddamn sincere.

But even so, Jack had to be at work in about six hours. "So," he started.

"You and my Mimi," Pino said. He stopped there for a few seconds while Jack's stomach squirmed around inside him. He just didn't see any way for that sentence to end well.

Pino took another sip of the pseudo-scotch, and made another face.

"You know that's completely killing your palate for the saffron--uh." Jack stopped himself and then put a hand over his mouth, just in case. He did it casually, so maybe it just looked like he was leaning on it.

"She's a special girl," Pino said.

"Mmhmm, mmhmm."

"And you are my best chef."

"Mm--mwah? I am?" he said, somewhat muffled by fingers.

"You are. And you are a good man. I know you helped her with the health inspection."

"We would've passed if Jim hadn't fallen on the inspector." Jack was still a little impressed with that. Not a _lot_ , and there was no way a working kitchen could stay that spotless and still keep working, but a little.

Pino shrugged. "You and I, Jack, we know how these things work. My daughter still believes all she was taught at school. You two, I think, will make a good team."

"Uh," Jack said. His brain was heading down mafia-movie roads, do right by my daughter, welcome to the family, here let me chop off your little finger if you offend me roads. Or maybe that was the yakuza. Whatever. He'd be okay with losing a little finger if it meant not marrying Mimi.

"All the same, I would take it as a favor if you did not sleep with her."

"I don't really--" Jack blinked. "What?"

"A small personal favor. It is, of course, up to you."

"Right! Right, sure, hey, no problem. I got no problem with that, none. Hands off. I understand."

"Good." Pino stood, took his trench coat from the back of the chair, and slid it on. "Walk me to the door."

Jack walked him to the door and found himself, suddenly and unaccountably, up against the wall right next to it. He was pretty sure he and Gia had had sex against this wall. He swallowed.

Pino was very close. His shoe nudged up against Jack's bare foot. His hand fell heavily onto Jack's shoulder. Jack was holding his breath and found it difficult to stop. His heart was beating stupidly fast.

"Do you like the apartment?" Pino asked.

"It's--great, it's great. Thank you."

"Gia liked it, too."

"Does she like Italy?"

"Mm? Oh, yes. I think she is very happy there."

"I'm pretty happy here," Jack said.

"Good. That's good." Pino clapped a hand to the side of Jack's face and left it there. One rough fingertip curled into the hollow behind Jack's ear.

Jack shifted, shoulder blades sliding against the smooth plaster. Pino smelled faintly of bay rum, and also of Seth's scotch. His hands were very warm.

"It's really late," Jack said, because he didn't know what this was or what to do with it.

"Yes. And you have to work early." Pino nodded. "You might get a better brand of scotch. I like Glencora, myself."

He left and shut the door behind him.

Jack wobbled into the bedroom and fell onto the bed, fully clothed and face down. His dick was half-hard in his pants. He wasn't going to think about it.


End file.
